Thousands of doses of Moderna vaccine on the way to Palm Beach County

Hospitals throughout Palm Beach County expect to receive a total of 18,000 doses of the newly authorized Moderna vaccine to inoculate against COVID19 within a week, officials said Friday.

The announcement was made the same day the Food and Drug Administration announced its authorization of the Moderna vaccine, and a week after another vaccine developed by Pfizer received approval and began initial distribution.

Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, the Moderna does not require ultra-cold storage, making it easier to store and distribute.

Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner, joined by county health director Dr. Alina Alonso and other officials, said hospital workers would be given priority to receive the vaccines because they are those likely to be directly exposed to COVID-positive patients in the line of their day-to-day work. Nursing home and other long-term care facility employees will also be prioritized.

Doses of the Pfizer vaccine were packed in dry ice for shipment across the country, with Broward, Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville and Orlando area health care workers among the first in the nation to receive the inoculations earlier this week. with no patient contact. Unbelievable. As a physician on the front line, I find this offensive. Pictures of nurses, ER docs, critical care staff getting vaccines, OK. Firefighters and policemen, absolutely. Computer processors and managers? Ridiculous.” — Local doctor

Several people have questioned why these employees at Memorial Regional Hospitals were able to get shots on the first day they were available. Here’s how Memorial Healthcare System spokesman Stu Opperman described who is getting their vaccinations:

“The Memorial employees we’ve already inoculated are crucial to the infrastructure of the patient care we provide,” he said.

“The vaccine is available to Memorial employees that have contact with COVID19 patients, are at risk of being infected, or transmitting the virus. This would include front-line medical staff and those who provide direct support to the frontline, but not administrative personnel.”

Other South Florida hospitals have variations on the same policy. Here’s the rule at Jackson Memorial in Miami: “Any Jackson employee with direct or indirect contact with COVID-19 patients is eligible to receive the vaccine in this first phase, and that includes environmental services workers, nutrition employees, pharmacists, public safety officers, etc.” spokeswoman Lidia Amoretti said.

The Florida Medical Association warned on Thursday that providers need to be judicious, because there’s not enough vaccine for everyone in the first-tier category.

“The FMA recognizes that there is a limited amount of the vaccine available for distribution in December and urges patience as the state undertakes the unprecedented effort to implement a mass inoculation program. There are far more health care providers and longterm care residents who qualify for the first round of the vaccine than there is vaccine available.”

Q. “Do all vaccinations require a second shot?”

A. At the moment they do, but there are some in development that will be singledose. They’re not available to the public yet. The shots manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna, currently being rolled out for long-term care residents and front-line workers, require two visits, spaced three to four weeks apart.

Q. “I’m a 65-year-old resident of Florida. Will I be able to receive the vaccination? And will I be able to choose which one I receive?” — Donna Francati,

Venice

Yes to both. You’ll be in the next eligible group after medical workers and residents of assisted living facilities. Once the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are widely available, designated vaccine sites will have one drug or the other, but not both. The drugs cannot be mixed, and whichever vaccine is your first dose must also be your second and final dose. Once the vaccines are available to the general public in 2021, you can choose which vaccine you want by going to the appropriate distribution site.

Regardless of where people get their vaccine, the state will use Florida’s State Health Online Tracking System, an immunization registry also known as SHOTS, to document who is getting the vaccine and to provide reminder messages for people who need to get their second dose.

Q. “I’m a 70 year old snowbird (non-resident). It looks like I will have to wait till the vaccine would be offered to the general public - i.e., I would have no priority. Other states have assigned a higher priority to folks over 65. Is this the case or will Florida give a priority to snowbirds over a certain age? Will I be treated and prioritized the same as a Florida resident? Will I have some priority status before the general public?” John Nystrom, Palm Harbor

Snowbirds are going to be treated just like every other Florida retiree who is not living in an assisted-living facility. You’re next in line after nursing home residents and hospital workers, so it’s going to be a few weeks if not months.

It’s come as a relief to many winter visitors that they can get their shots here. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made it clear in a recent report that you don’t have to be a full-time Floridian to be inoculated here: “The goal of the Florida COVID-19 Mass Vaccination plan is to immunize all Floridians and visitors who choose to be vaccinated.”

And Gov. Ron DeSantis has confirmed that senior citizens are a priority.

“As the vaccine supply increases over the next few weeks, we want to start getting it out to our elderly residents as well as those who may have significant co-morbidities, making them high-risk for complications from COVID-19,” he said.

Once long-term care residents and health workers are taken care of, all seniors should be able to get vaccinated at clinics set up by CVS or Walgreens. Vaccines will be offered at no cost, but vaccination providers can charge an administration fee for giving the shot.

Got a question? Email Sun Sentinel staff writer Lois K. Solomon at lsolomon@ sunsentinel.com